Definition

1. Noun Phrase:

   • The young and the old: A collective term referring to both young people and elderly people as distinct groups within a society or community.
   • Young and old alike / Everyone: Used to indicate inclusiveness, meaning all people regardless of age.

2. Adjective Phrase (in certain contexts):

   • Young but appearing or acting old: Describes a person who is young in age but has an old soul, mature demeanor, or aged appearance.

Usage Examples

• Noun Phrase:

  • Lễ hội này dành cho mọi người, từ trẻ già đến trai gái. (This festival is for everyone, from the young and the old to men and women.)
  • Chính sách này ảnh hưởng đến cả trẻ già. (This policy affects everyone, young and old alike.)

• Adjective Phrase:

  • Cậu bé ấy suy nghĩ rất sâu sắc, trẻ già quá. (That boy thinks very deeply; he is so young yet old.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase is often used in formal or literary contexts to evoke a sense of universal community or shared human experience across generations.
• It can function as a rhetorical device to emphasize that something applies to the entire population without exception.

Variants and Related Words

• Trẻ em (n): children.

  • Công viên có khu vui chơi cho trẻ em. (The park has a playground for children.)

• Người già (n): the elderly, old people.

  • Chúng ta cần quan tâm đến người già. (We need to care for the elderly.)

Synonyms

• Young and old: The primary synonym as a collective noun.
• All ages: Emphasizing inclusiveness.
• Old soul: For the adjectival sense describing a mature young person.

Related Idioms

• Trẻ không tha, già không thương: (To spare neither the young nor the old). To be merciless or ruthless towards everyone.
  • Bọn cướp hành động tàn bạo, trẻ không tha già không thương. (The robbers acted brutally, sparing neither the young nor the old.)